I How to use astronomical spectra?

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To use astronomical spectra, downloading the VOTable and FITS files is a common approach, but they may initially appear as single-dimensional arrays. The PNG file represents the spectrum graphically, while the ASCII file contains a table of flux versus wavelength. Plotting the ASCII values will recreate the PNG graph. For FITS files, using Python's astropy.io.fits library is recommended, as it provides the same flux versus wavelength data found in the ASCII file. Successful implementation of this method has been confirmed through shared code resources.
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Trying to open a FITS file to view stellar spectra....
As suggested here

http://svocats.cab.inta-csic.es/miles/index.php?action=search

I tried downloading the VOTable, and FITS file (tried opening using Aladin and GIMP). However, when I open the file, I get a single line (I suppose the 2D spectra is contained in a single dimensional array?). Did I open it correctly? Is there any online guide for this? Is there a better way to view the spectra? Would you suggest some guides to using spectroscopic databases in general? Thanks!
 
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What exactly are you looking for? The PNG file is a graph of the spectrum. The ASCII file is a text file with a table of the flux as a function of wavelength. If you plot those values you will reproduce the PNG file. The FITS file has the same flux vs wavelength data in FITS format.
 
I typically open FITS files using the python astropy.io.fits code, but it will give you the same table of flux vs wavelength that is in the ACSII file.
 

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